Methods, Systems, and Products for Network Topology

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and products simulate a topology of a residential home network. The residential home network has a residential gateway and one or more devices communicating with the residential gateway. Each device is queried by the residential gateway for configuration and performance data. A simulated view of a topology of the residential home network is then generated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/163,844filed Jun. 20, 2011 and now issued as U.S. Patent ______, andincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Exemplary embodiments generally relate to data processing and operatorinterfaces, to error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery,and to electrical computers and, more particularly, to graphical oriconic-based interfaces, to network path component faults, to computernetwork monitoring, and to diagnostic testing of local area networks.

Home networks are increasingly complex. Home networks include manydiverse devices of different manufactures, types, and configurations.Home networks may also include wired and wireless links to these diversedevices. This complexity makes diagnosis and repair increasinglydifficult.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments arebetter understood when the following Detailed Description is read withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic illustrating a graphical userinterface, according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating an environment in which exemplaryembodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating automatic discovery of devices,according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating automatic diagnosis of a homenetwork, according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 5 is another schematic illustrating the graphical user interface,according to exemplary embodiments;

FIGS. 6-8 are schematics illustrating bandwidth usage, according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating additional testing, according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating remote reporting, according toexemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustrating local and remote management of thehome network, according to exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodimentsmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the exemplary embodiments to those ofordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein recitingembodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the likerepresent conceptual views or processes illustrating the exemplaryembodiments. The functions of the various elements shown in the figuresmay be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well ashardware capable of executing associated software. Those of ordinaryskill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware,software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described hereinare for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limitedto any particular named manufacturer.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. Itwill be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,”“including,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood thatwhen an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” toanother element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the otherelement or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected”or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled.As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another. For example, a first device could be termed asecond device, and, similarly, a second device could be termed a firstdevice without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic illustrating a graphical user interface20, according to exemplary embodiments. The graphical user interface 20is a user-friendly operator interface for managing and for diagnosing ahome network. The graphical user interface 20 provides networkinformation and device information in a simple, easy-to-understand homenetwork management tool. The graphical user interface 20 permits eventhe most novice users (whether a home customer or a repair technician)to quickly and easily diagnose and isolate network and device problemsin the home network. As the user gains more experience and knowledge ofthe graphical user interface 20, the user may obtain select options thatprovide even more detailed technical information concerning the homenetwork and/or any devices connected to the home network.

Before further explaining the graphical user interface 20, though, FIG.2 is a schematic illustrating an environment in which exemplaryembodiments may be implemented. FIG. 2 illustrates a residential gateway22 communicating with a home network 24 and with a data network 26. Theresidential gateway 22 receives high bandwidth service 28 from one ormore content sources 30. The residential gateway 22 distributes the highbandwidth service 28 to various devices 32 in the home network 24. Theresidential gateway 22, for example, may have an interface to receivehigh-bandwidth digital subscriber line (or “DSL”) signals. Theresidential gateway 22 may have a DSL jack for connection to a digitalsubscriber line. The residential gateway 22 receives digital subscriberline signals and an internal interface (such as a DSL modem) processesthe digital subscriber line signals for distribution to the home network24. The residential gateway 22, however, may additionally oralternatively have inputs and interfaces to other high-bandwidthservices, such as cable signals from a coaxial cable and an internalinterface (such as a cable modem) to receive and process coaxial cablesignals. The residential gateway 22 may additionally or alternativelyhave a satellite antenna terminal for connection to a satellite antennato receive digital satellite signals. The residential gateway 22 mayadditionally or alternatively have interfaces to fiber optic lines, theHome Phone Networking Alliance (“HPNA”), wireless BLUETOOTH® and/orWI-FI® links, or any other medium or link. These jacks, connections, andinterfaces are all well known and need not be discussed.

The residential gateway 22 may have a processor 40 and memory 42. Theprocessor 40 executes a network diagnostic application 44 stored in thememory 42. The network diagnostic application 44 is a set of softwarecommands or code that instruct the processor 40 to automaticallydiscover and identify the devices 32 physically connected to, and/orwirelessly communicating with, the residential gateway 22. The networkdiagnostic application 44 queries each device 32 for configuration andperformance (“C&P”) data 50, as later paragraphs will explain. Thenetwork diagnostic application 44 then uses the configuration andperformance data 50 to generate the graphical user interface 20. Thenetwork diagnostic application 44 may also cause the processor 40 toreproduce the graphical user interface 20 on a display device 52.

The residential gateway 22 may have Ethernet capabilities. Theresidential gateway 22 may have an Ethernet interface to distribute thehigh-bandwidth signals to the various devices 32 connected to theresidential gateway 22. The residential gateway 22 may have one or moreterminals or jacks that physically connect to each device 32. Theresidential gateway 22 may thus operate as a router that forwards datapackets to a destination address in the home network 24. The Ethernetinterface and standard are well known to those of ordinary skill in theart, so this disclosure need not further discuss Ethernet capability.

The residential gateway 22 may have wireless capabilities. Theresidential gateway 22 may include a wireless transceiver thatwirelessly transmits and receives wireless signals via an antenna. Thewireless transceiver, for example, may transmit and receive wirelesssignals using the BLUETOOTH® and/or WI-FI® standards for communicatingwith wireless devices 32. The wireless transceiver, however, may utilizeany portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and/or any signalingstandard, such as any of the IEEE 802 family of standards. Wirelesscapability in residential gateways is well known to those of ordinaryskill in the art, so this disclosure need not further discuss wirelesscapability.

The residential gateway 22 may have a telephony interface. Theresidential gateway 22, for example, may have a phone jack or terminalfor connection to telephony devices. A Voice-over Internet Protocol(“VoIP”) phone, for example, may interface with the residential gateway22 to receive Voice-over Internet Protocol signals. Telephony capabilityin residential gateways is well known to those of ordinary skill in theart, so this disclosure need not further discuss telephony capability.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating automatic discovery of the devices32, according to exemplary embodiments. Here the network diagnosticapplication 44, executing in the residential gateway 22, automaticallydiscovers and identifies the devices 32 physically connected to, and/orwirelessly communicating with, the residential gateway 22. The devices32 may include one or more modems, set-top boxes, digital videorecorders, gaming devices, computers, wireless devices, phones,plug-and-play devices, home automation devices, and security devices andsensors. The network diagnostic application 44, in short, mayautomatically discover and identify any device connected to, and/orwirelessly communicating with, the residential gateway 22.

The network diagnostic application 44, for example, may use theTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networkprotocol. The TCP/IP network protocol is a well-known addressingstandard for networking. Each device 32 is associated with a uniqueInternet Protocol (“IP”) address 60 and a logical name 62, which areused to identify a particular device 32 connected to, or communicatingwith, the residential gateway 22. The network diagnostic application 44may store and maintain a device table 64 in the memory 42 that maps orassociates each device 32 to its corresponding unique IP address 60 andlogical name 62. The network diagnostic application 44 may,alternatively, query remote locations for the unique IP address 60, thelogical name 62, or the device table 64. Regardless, each device 32 maybe dynamically allocated the unique IP address 60 and the logical name62. Some devices 32, however, may have a predefined IP address 60 and/orlogical name 62, so the device table 64 would reflect this predefinedinformation. When the network diagnostic application 44 detects a newlogical name 62, for example, the network diagnostic application 44 mayassign an available, unique Internet Protocol address 60 and update thedevice table 64. As each device 32 is added and removed from the homenetwork 24, the device table 64 is accordingly updated to reflect thecurrent status or membership of the devices communicating with theresidential gateway 22.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating automatic diagnosis of the homenetwork 24, according to exemplary embodiments. The network diagnosticapplication 44 queries each device 32 for the configuration andperformance data 50. As FIG. 4 illustrates, the network diagnosticapplication 44 causes the residential gateway 22 to send a query 70 toeach device 32. The network diagnostic application 44, for example,queries the device table 64 for the logical name 62 and retrieves thecorresponding unique IP address 60. The network diagnostic application44 then instructs the processor 40 to route the query 70 to thecorresponding unique IP address 60. The query 70 is received by thedevice 32 at the corresponding unique IP address 60. The query 70commands a client-side diagnostic application 72 operating in the device32 to send the configuration and performance data 50. The device 32retrieves the configuration and performance data 50 and sends a response74. The network diagnostic application 44 may repeat the query 70 foreach device 32 communicating with the residential gateway 22. The query70 may be randomly or periodically repeated for each device 32 torepeatedly obtain fresh data.

The network diagnostic application 44 uses the configuration andperformance data 50 to diagnose the home network 24. The configurationand performance data 50, for example, may describe the capacity usage(e.g., in bits per second) of a communication link 76 between a device32 and the residential gateway 22. The configuration and performancedata 50 may describe a current bandwidth usage (such as bits per second)for an Ethernet physical connection or for a WI-FI® wireless connection.The network diagnostic application 44 may even combine information fromdifferent source devices 32 to characterize a single home LAN device.For example, the network diagnostic application 44 may correlateinformation broadcast by an IPTV set-top box with information in theresidential gateway 22 to determine the physical connections used by theIPTV set-top box and their status. The network diagnostic application 44may also measure and assess the wireless frequencies that are used bythe transceiver operating in or with the residential gateway 22.Specifically, the network diagnostic application 44 may measure wirelesssignal strength (RSSI), adjacent or nearby wireless LANs, and noises andinterference sources present in the customer premises.

FIG. 5 is another schematic illustrating the graphical user interface20, according to exemplary embodiments. Once the network diagnosticapplication 44 obtains the configuration and performance data 50 (asFIG. 4 illustrated), the network diagnostic application 44 generates thegraphical user interface 20. The graphical user interface 20 is asimple, easy-to-understand home network management tool for customersand for technicians. Even novice users may quickly and easily diagnoseand isolate problems in the home network 24. A more knowledgeable user(such as a repair technician) may select particular icons and/orgraphical communications links to obtain more detailed technicalinformation concerning the home network 24 and/or any of the devices 32connected to the residential gateway 22.

The graphical user interface 20 provides detailed information butretains simplicity. The graphical user interface 20 provides a complete,but simulated, view of the home network 24, including the devices 32 andtheir respective communications links. The graphical user interface 20,however, also provides different visual indications to attract theuser's attention when issues are detected. In this way, even the mostnovice of users are able to identify problems in their home network 24using just the graphical user interface 20.

The graphical user interface 20 provides detailed information in asimple fashion. The graphical user interface 20 may be divided intothree sections. A top section 80 (which may occupy about ten percent(10%) of the screen) presents several graphical tabs 82. Each tab 82includes a category label 84. The user selects a particular tab 82(perhaps by moving a cursor 86 and clicking or selecting the tab 82) toobtain information related to the corresponding category label 84. Anyaggregated and/or conceptual information which is not associated witheach specific communications link and device 32 will be pulled anddisplayed. A middle section 88 (which occupies about eighty percent(80%) of the screen) displays a simulated view 90 of a physical networktopology of the home network (illustrated as reference numeral 24 inFIGS. 2-4). A bottom section 92 of the graphical user interface 20(which again occupies about ten percent (10%) of the screen) presentsnormal information for each device 32 and communications link 94 whenuser selects any icon 96 in the simulated view 90.

FIG. 5, in particular, illustrates information related to an “IPTVStreams” tab 100. The IPTV Streams tab 100 illustrates informationrelated to distribution of high-bandwidth Internet Protocol televisiondata streams. Whereas conventional user interfaces only display alogical view of network topology, exemplary embodiments provide thesimulated view 90 of the physical network topology of the home network24. Each simulated communications link 94 or device icon 96 represents areal network entity that physically and/or wirelessly communicates withthe residential gateway 22. The graphical user interface 20 thusdisplays the icon 96 for each device 32 and the graphical communicationslink 94 representing each corresponding physical or wirelesscommunication link. The graphical user interface 20, for example,graphically illustrates a gateway icon 102 that represents theresidential gateway (illustrated as reference numeral 22 in FIGS. 2-4).The graphical user interface 20 also graphically illustrates the icons96 for each device 32 communicating with the residential gateway 22. Theicons 96 may visually represent the type of each device 32 (such as apicture of a set top box). The simulated view 90 of the physical networktopology is dynamically refreshed (randomly or periodically, asexplained above) depending on the device 32 and/or the residentialgateway's data pull capability. The graphical user interface 20 thusprovides a real time view of the physical network topology of the homenetwork 24.

Each simulated device and communications link may include a label 110.The label 110 displays the unique Internet Protocol address 60 and thelogical name 62 which identifies each particular device 32 communicatingwith the residential gateway 22. The logical name 62 may be simple tounderstand, such as “DVR” (identifying a digital video recorder) or“STB” (identifying a set-top box). The graphical user interface 20 alsosimulates each communications link 94 and identifies its communicationsprotocol or standard. FIG. 5, for example, illustrates each Ethernetconnection 112 to/from the residential gateway 22 (such as “Ethernet 1”through “Ethernet 4”) and the “Wi-Fi” wireless connection 114. Thegraphical user interface 20 thus displays a simple, but simulated, viewof the physical network topology of the home network 24.

The graphical user interface 20, however, also provides even moredetailed information. Because each device and communications link issimulated, the user may simply obtain detailed information. As FIG. 5illustrates, the user may select any icon 96 for more detailedinformation. If the user mouses over, hovers over, or otherwise selectsany icon 96, the bottom section 92 of the graphical user interface 20presents more detailed information. Should the cursor 86 hover over a“Set-Top Box” icon 116, for example, the corresponding logical name 62and its unique Internet Protocol address 60 is displayed in the bottomsection 92 of the graphical user interface 20. Other detailedinformation may be displayed, such as a corresponding Media AccessControl (“MAC”) address 118, communications link or connection type 120(“HPNA”), multicast sample rate conversion (“SRC”) 122, and/or multicaststream rate 124.

FIGS. 6-8 are schematics illustrating bandwidth usage, according toexemplary embodiments. Here exemplary embodiments provide a simple,graphical illustration of bandwidth usage in any communications link.Because the network diagnostic application 44 queries each device 32 forthe configuration and performance data 50 (as FIG. 4 illustrated), thegraphical user interface 20 may graphically illustrate bandwidthconsumption by any device 32. When the network diagnostic application 44receives the configuration and performance data 50, the networkdiagnostic application 44 is informed of the communications protocol orstandard (e.g., Ethernet, WI-FI®, etc.) and the bandwidth consumption(such as the multicast stream rate 124) of each device 32. The networkdiagnostic application 44 then causes the graphical user interface 20 tographically illustrate the bandwidth consumed by any device 32. Becausethe communications protocol or standard is known (such as referencenumerals 112, 114, and 120 illustrated in FIG. 5), the networkdiagnostic application 44 retrieves a maximum data rate permitted by orgoverned by the communications protocol or standard.

As FIG. 6 illustrates, the network diagnostic application 44 queries arate table 130 stored in the memory 42. The rate table 130 may beconstructed as an extension of the device table (illustrated asreference numeral 64 in FIG. 3). The rate table 130 maps or associatesthe communications protocol or standard 132 to the maximum data rate 134permitted by the communications protocol or standard 132. The networkdiagnostic application 44 commands the processor 40 to retrieve themaximum data rate 134 and to compare the maximum data rate 134 to thebandwidth consumed 136 by each device 32 (perhaps identified by thecorresponding logical name 62 and Internet Protocol address 60 for eachdevice 32). The network diagnostic application 44 then computes apercentage 138 of the bandwidth being consumed along any communicationslink and/or by any device 32. The network diagnostic application 44, forexample, commands the processor 40 to determine the percentage 138 ofthe bandwidth being consumed as:

$\frac{{Bandwidth}\mspace{14mu} {Consumed}}{{Maximum}\mspace{14mu} {Data}\mspace{14mu} {Rate}} \times 100.$

The percentage 138 of the bandwidth being consumed may be computed foreach device 32 that communicates with the residential gateway 22. Thenetwork diagnostic application 44 commands the processor 40 todynamically refresh the rate table 130 (either randomly or periodically)depending on the device 32 and/or the residential gateway's data pullcapability. The graphical user interface 20 thus again provides a realtime view of the physical network topology of the home network 24.

FIG. 7 illustrates the bandwidth consumption. FIG. 7 is a partial viewof the graphical user interface 20. The features shown in FIG. 7 areenlarged for clarity. FIG. 7 illustrates how the graphical userinterface 20 may simulate each communications link 94 as a pipe 150having an outer diameter 152 and an inner diameter 154. The outerdiameter 152 represents the maximum data rate that is permissible by thecommunications protocol or standard (illustrated, respectively, asreference numerals 134 and 132 in FIG. 6). The inner diameter 154represents the bandwidth being consumed 136 (such as the multicaststream rate 124 illustrated in FIG. 5) by each device 32 or along eachphysical or wireless communications link (illustrated as referencenumeral 76 in FIG. 4). The inner diameter 154 is preferably scaled tothe percentage 138 of the bandwidth being consumed by the physical orwireless communications link 76. For example, if an Ethernetcommunications link (such as the “Ehternet4” illustrated as referencenumeral 96 in FIG. 4) is consuming 50% of its maximum data rate 134,then the inner diameter 154 is scaled to be 50% of the outer diameter152. If the “Ethernet1” communications link (illustrated in FIG. 4) isconsuming 30% of its maximum data rate 134, then the inner diameter 154is scaled to be 30% of the outer diameter 152. Thicknesses of the outerdiameter 152 and the inner diameter 154 thus provide a quick andvisually simple indication of bandwidth consumption.

FIG. 8 illustrates another indication of bandwidth consumption. Here thegraphical user interface 20 simulates each communications link usinggraphical effects. Each communications link 94 is again illustrated asthe pipe 150. The outer diameter 152 again represents the maximum datarate 134 that is permissible by the communications protocol or standard132, yet here the maximum data rate 134 is illustrated using a dashedline 160. The inner diameter 154 again represents the bandwidth beingconsumed 136 by the communications link 94 or any device 32 along thecommunications link 94. The inner diameter 154 is, conversely,illustrated using a solid line 162. The solid line 162 may even liewithin the outer dashed line 160 of the pipe 150 to further visuallyindicate bandwidth consumption.

FIGS. 6-8 also illustrate other indications of bandwidth consumption.The total bandwidth being aggregately consumed by the devices 32 cannotexceed the data rate (such as the high-bandwidth service 28 illustratedin FIG. 2) being received by the residential gateway 22. If any singledevice 32 requests more bandwidth that can be supplied by theresidential gateway 22, then the request for content cannot be honored.When multiple devices 32 are requesting and/or receiving content, theaggregate total data rate being requested and/or consumed cannot exceedthe data rate being received by the residential gateway 22. Similarly,the bandwidth along any communications link 76, or the aggregatecommunications links, cannot exceed the data rate being received by theresidential gateway 22.

The network diagnostic application 44 may thus compare bandwidthconsumption to rules 170. The rules 170 are stored in the memory 42 ofthe residential gateway 22. The rules 170 impose limits on data ratesthat may be consumed by any individual device 32 and/or by aggregatedevices 32. When bandwidth consumption is less than or equal to somemaximum threshold data rate, a rule 170 is satisfied. When, however,bandwidth consumption is greater than the maximum threshold data rate,the rule 170 may cause the network diagnostic application 44 to flag orindicate an error. Exemplary embodiments thus perform an automateddiagnosis of the home network 24 based on the configuration andperformance data 50 gathered from each device 32. The network diagnosticapplication 44 processes the configuration and performance data 50 andgenerates graphical user interface 20. The graphical user interface 20may highlight diagnostic results that necessitate action on the part ofthe user or the technician.

The network diagnostic application 44 may thus cause the graphical userinterface 20 to further simulate bandwidth consumption. The graphicaluser interface 20 may use color coding 172 to highlight or emphasizeissues of concern. The network diagnostic application 44, for example,may color code any of the simulated communications link 94 and/or deviceicons 96 to again visually indicate bandwidth consumption. Eachsimulated communications link 94, for example, may be color coded toindicate bandwidth consumption. If a simulated communications link 94 iscolored green, for example, bandwidth consumption is tolerable andsatisfies the rule 170. If the simulated communications link 94 iscolored yellow, however, bandwidth consumption is approaching themaximum threshold data rate. The bandwidth being consumed, in otherwords, may be within some percentage or range of maximum threshold datarate. If the simulated communications link 94 is colored red, though,bandwidth consumption may exceed the maximum threshold data rate. Whenbandwidth consumption may theoretically exceed the maximum thresholddata rate, the graphical user interface 20 may further blink or flashthe simulated communications link 94 to redundantly, but simply,indicate the content request cannot be provided. The graphical userinterface 20 may thus visually emphasize any physical network entitythat has experienced some threshold crossing event, thus indicatingservice may be impacted.

Thresholds may even be configurable. The rules 170, the maximumthreshold data rate, and any associated parameters may be set andchanged by the user. Default values are provided and may be selected orpreconfigured. Each device 32 and/or communication link may thus beindividually monitored for excessive consumption.

The graphical user interface 20 thus provides a simple, but information,real time view of the home network 24. Because most users may not betechnically experienced, these users may rely on the graphical userinterface 20 to isolate and locate problems in their home network 24.Even experienced technicians, though, benefit from the graphical userinterface 20. The simple, but detailed, graphical user interface 20saves time when diagnosing the home network 24, so technicians need notdrill down for more technical information for each communications linkand/or each device 32.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating additional testing, according toexemplary embodiments. Once the graphical user interface 20 isgenerated, the network diagnostic application 44 allows the technician(or advanced, permitted user) to perform any test to diagnose the homenetwork 24. The network diagnostic application 44, for example, allowsthe technician to perform an IPTV packet stream test 180 based onchannels that are currently tuned in by, or received by, an IPTV set-topbox, digital video recorder, or any other media-consuming device. Thenetwork diagnostic application 44 may also allow the technician toperform a network packet load test 182 by generating packet traffic andby directing this traffic to a single device 32 or to multiple devices32 within the home network 24. The technician may also connect testhardware (via hardware interface 184) for testing purposes. Thetechnician, for example, may connect an Ethernet to HPNA bridge 186,which may perform physical measurements 188 of the home phone networkingalliance communication link to the residential gateway 22. This testhardware, for example, may use the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (or“CERT”) protocol to test and measure as defined in ITU-T RecommendationG.9954. These measurements may comprise data rate, signal-to-noise ratio(SNR), noise and interference power spectral density (PSD), receivedsignal level or power, packet loss rate, packet error rate, and otherrelated parameters that may help diagnose the home network 24.

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating remote reporting, according toexemplary embodiments. Here the network diagnostic application 44 mayself-report any diagnostic data 200 that describes the performanceand/or operation of the home network 24. The network diagnosticapplication 44 may cause the processor 40 to generate a diagnosticreport 202 comprising the diagnostic data 200. The diagnostic report202, for example, may include any of the configuration and performancedata 50 collected from the devices 32. The diagnostic report 202 mayalso include any information determined or calculated by the networkdiagnostic application 44, such as the device table 64 and/or the ratetable 130. The diagnostic report 202 is sent via the data network 26 toa communications address (such as an Internet Protocol address)associated with a diagnostic server 204. The diagnostic report 202 isthus uploaded to the diagnostic server 204 for analysis, logging, and/orreporting. The diagnostic report 202 may include information thatuniquely describes the residential gateway 22 and/or the home network24. The diagnostic report 202 may even identify the devices 32 operatingin the home network 24 and/or connected to the residential gateway 22.

Exemplary embodiments may be applied regardless of networkingenvironment. The communications network 26 may be a cable networkoperating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol(IP) domain. The communications network 26, however, may also include adistributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimesalternatively known as the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-areanetwork (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communicationsnetwork 26 may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines,and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 26 may eveninclude wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagneticspectrum and any signaling standard (such as the IEEE 802 family ofstandards, GSM/CDMA/TDMA or any cellular standard, and/or the ISM band).The communications network 26 may even include powerline portions, inwhich signals are communicated via electrical wiring. The conceptsdescribed herein may be applied to any wireless/wireline communicationsnetwork, regardless of physical componentry, physical configuration, orcommunications standard(s).

Exemplary embodiments improve workflow execution. From the perspectiveof the premises technician, the graphical user interface 20 allows thetechnician to quickly identify the physical layout of the customer'shome network 24, which saves time as compared to manually sortingthrough tangled cables that run throughout the customer's home. Theautomated analysis presented by the network diagnostic application 44affords the premises technician access to expert diagnostics andanalysis without requiring technical training in these subject matters.The tool also provides a real-time data and test capability within thecustomer's home. Because the tool collects data from the home network 24(e.g., the customer's LAN), the data is not subject to delay and latencyof data collected from the telecommunications operator's elementmanagement systems, nor is the analysis limited to the data orparameters that are reported by such systems.

Exemplary embodiments also improve troubleshooting efforts. The optionalactive test capabilities (as explained with reference to FIG. 9) providethe technician with a variety of troubleshooting tools that may be usedin correcting problems. For example, the IPTV packet stream test 180 maybe used by the technician to perform trouble isolation to the homenetwork 24 or to network elements outside the home. The Ethernet to HPNAbridge 186 may be used to perform physical measurements that extend orenhance the test capabilities of existing dedicated test devices. Thediagnostic report 202 (as explained with reference to FIG. 10) mayprovide benefits to the technician by integrating the present inventionwith existing OSS/BSS systems.

Exemplary embodiments also benefits network service providers. Thenetwork diagnostic application 44 reduces operational expenditure andcapital expenditure. On the operational side, the network diagnosticapplication 44 speeds up premises technician workflows and reducesmultiple dispatches, failed fixes, and the like, which contribute tooverall higher productivity and lower repair costs. The network serviceproviders also benefit from improvements to repair processes in terms ofcustomer satisfaction and churn reduction. On the capital side, thenetwork diagnostic application 44 may allow the network serviceproviders to reduce or defer capital expenses related to dedicated testtools used by premises technicians.

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustrating local and remote management of thehome network 24, according to exemplary embodiments. Here the networkdiagnostic application 44 may actively leverage the configuration andperformance (“C&P”) data 50 captured by the residential gateway 22. Theconfiguration and performance data 50 may be used to optimize bandwidthconsumption and/or service quality in the home network 24. For example,once the network diagnostic application 44 self-reports the diagnosticdata 200 in the diagnostic report 202, the network diagnosticapplication 44 may take management actions that reduce bandwidthconsumption in the home network 24. The network diagnostic application44 may additionally or alternatively improve the Quality of Service(QoS) of the home network 24.

As FIG. 11 illustrates, the network diagnostic application 44 may invokea management module 210. The management module 210 may cooperate withthe network diagnostic application 44 to make configuration changes tothe home network 24. The management module 210 may include rules 212that respond to the configuration and performance data 50 collected fromthe devices 32 (as explained with reference to FIGS. 4-6). Theconfiguration and performance data 50, for example, may be compared tothe rules 212. If any of the configuration and performance data 50satisfies some rule 212, then the management module 210 may cause thenetwork diagnostic application 44 to take an action defined by the rule212.

As FIG. 11 also illustrates, the network diagnostic application 44 mayalso be remotely and/or manually commanded to take action. When thenetwork diagnostic application 44 sends the diagnostic report 202, thenetwork diagnostic application 44 may receive one or more commands 214.The commands 214 instruct the network diagnostic application 44 toimplement some action to improve the home network 24. FIG. 11illustrates the commands 214 remotely originating from the diagnosticserver 204, but the commands 214 may additionally or alternativelyoriginate from any management entity (such as a network operationscenter). The network diagnostic application 44 may also be commanded totake actions using the graphical user interface 20 and/or an interface220 at each device 32. Access permissions may be granted to the user orto the technician to take actions that improve the performance of thehome network 24, in response to the configuration and performance data50 captured by the residential gateway 22. Moreover, the client-sidediagnostic application 72 may itself take actions that improve theperformance of the home network 24 or the physical communications link76 servicing the device 32. The client-side diagnostic application 72may also have selectable options in response to the configuration andperformance data 50 captured from the device 32.

However the home network 26 is managed, the configuration andperformance data 50 may be leveraged. The configuration and performancedata 50 may be used to actively optimize bandwidth consumption by thedevice 32 and/or the physical communications link 76. The configurationand performance data 50 may be used to improve the quality of serviceprovided to the home network 24. For example, the configuration andperformance data 50 may be used to adjust video stream bandwidth and/orstream quality of the IPTV client device 32. Bandwidth and streamquality may also be adjusted based on current bandwidth data, a type ofthe end device 32, and/or a type of video display attached to the enddevice 32 (which may all be described by, or derived from, theconfiguration and performance data 50). Another example may move one ormore high-bandwidth users from congested links to uncongested links Whena wireless communications link to the residential gateway 22 iscongested, for example, one or more users may be automatically ormanually switched to a HPNA or Ethernet communications link to resolvetraffic congestion and thereby improve service quality. As anotherexample, the carrier frequency of a WI-FI® transmission may be switchedto a different carrier frequency in the home network 26 to reducecongestion and/or to improve signal quality. These actions may beautomatically implemented via the management module 210, via the remotecommands 214, and/or via manual inputs from the graphical user interface20 and/or the interface 220 at each device 32.

Exemplary embodiments may be physically embodied on or in acomputer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable medium mayinclude CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, andlarge-capacity disks. This computer-readable medium, or media, could bedistributed to end-subscribers, licensees, and assignees. A computerprogram product comprises processor-executable instructions fordiagnosing the home network 24, as the above paragraphs explained.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect tovarious features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilledin the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited.Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplaryembodiments.

1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing code thatwhen executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operationscomprising: sending queries from a residential gateway over a homenetwork to devices communicating with the residential gateway; receivingperformance data in response to the queries; generating a simulated viewof a topology of the home network; generating icons in the simulatedview that represent the residential gateway and each one of the devices;generating a simulated communications link in the simulated view thatrepresents a corresponding physical communications link between theresidential gateway and the each one of the devices; determining abandwidth being consumed by the each one of the devices; and graphicallyillustrating the bandwidth in the simulated view.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise randomly querying the eachone of the devices to generate the simulated view of the topology of thehome network.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise periodically querying the each one of the devices to generatethe simulated view of the topology of the home network.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the bandwidthbeing consumed by one of the devices in the home network based on theperformance data.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the operationsfurther comprise switching a frequency of a wireless portion of the homenetwork to adjust the bandwidth being consumed by the one of thedevices.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations furthercomprise moving the one of the devices to an uncongested link in thehome network to adjust the bandwidth being consumed.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further comprise querying the devicesphysically connected to the residential gateway.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise querying the deviceswirelessly communicating with the residential gateway.
 9. A system,comprising: a processor; and a memory storing code that when executedcauses the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:sending queries from a residential gateway over a home network todevices communicating with the residential gateway; receivingperformance data in response to the queries; generating a simulated viewof a topology of the home network; generating icons in the simulatedview that represent the residential gateway and each one of the devices;generating a simulated communications link in the simulated view thatrepresents a corresponding physical communications link between theresidential gateway and the each one of the devices; determining abandwidth being consumed by the each one of the devices; retrieving amaximum data rate permitted by a communications protocol governing thecorresponding physical communications link between the residentialgateway and the each one of the devices; determining a percentageconsumption of the maximum data rate for each one of the correspondingphysical communications link between the residential gateway and theeach one of the devices; and graphically illustrating the percentageconsumption in the simulated view.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe operations further comprise randomly querying the each one of thedevices to generate the simulated view of the topology of the homenetwork.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations furthercomprise periodically querying the each one of the devices to generatethe simulated view of the topology of the home network.
 12. The systemof claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting thebandwidth being consumed by one of the devices in the home network basedon the performance data.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein theoperations further comprise switching a frequency of a wireless portionof the home network to adjust the bandwidth being consumed by the one ofthe devices.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations furthercomprise moving the one of the devices to an uncongested link in thehome network to adjust the bandwidth being consumed.
 15. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the operations further comprise querying the devicesphysically connected to the residential gateway.
 16. The system of claim9, wherein the operations further comprise querying the deviceswirelessly communicating with the residential gateway.